A collision early Tuesday involving a water tanker and a volunteer fire department pickup along the snowy Parks Highway near Fairbanks left one man dead, Alaska State Troopers said.
An Ester Volunteer Fire Department pickup driven by 22-year-old Emma Ison of Fairbanks was northbound on the highway near Mile 354 around 8:30 a.m. when she started to pass a slower-moving vehicle in the other northbound lane, troopers said in an online statement. The pickup went out of control and crossed into oncoming traffic lanes, where it struck a Pioneer Wells water-hauling tanker.
Troopers said Ison tried to help the other driver, 36-year-old Dewey Frost of North Pole, after the crash. Frost was trapped inside the truck and died of his injuries, troopers said.
The highway remained dangerous Wednesday morning, and the state Department of Transportation said travel would be difficult in the area because of ice, packed snow and fresh snow on the roadway.
Troopers said the crash is under investigation.